2017 is the debut year of the UAE Team Emirates, new setting of the World Tour team which has been in the cycling world for many years thanks to Giuseppe Saronni and his sports group.

The new challenge is to represent a whole Nation, the UAE, which are strongly interested in promoting cycling and in presenting as a top level sports and cycling hub.

Team was launched as UAE-Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi on January 4th 2017 in a press conference, at the presence of the president Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni Al Daheir, some days before the debut in a race, which is dated 15 January 2017, in Australia, in the People’s Choice Classic Criterium.
On 27 January 2017 UAE Team Emirates obtained the first success, thanks to Rui Costa who won in Argentina the queen stage of the Vuelta de San Juan on the Alto Colorado.
In February, just before the Abu Dhabi Tour, which was won by Rui Costa, Emirates was announced as co-sponsor of the team, together with a pool of top importance sponsors such as ADS and IGG.